March 29/10 9:53 am - Redlands Classic: Men's Stage 3 and final GC

Results from the 3rd stage and final general classification in Redlands CA. Canada's Charles Dionne was 2nd on the stage and Will Routley 3rd in GC

Report by UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis

The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis made a late bid in the final kilometers of the Redlands Classic to deliver Rory Sutherland to a stage and overall win, but the effort was disrupted just a couple hundred meters from the end.

“Brad White did a great job to bring back a late attack by Luis Amaran (Jamis) on the final lap in downtown Redlands,” said Team directeur sportif Gord Fraser. “Karl Menzies took over the front with Rory on his wheel. Things were looking good coming into the final 200 meters but then Luis Amaran made an aggressive move that put Rory into the curb and almost caused him to crash out with 200 meters to go. That pretty much killed his momentum and any chance he had of grabbing the bone time on the line needed to get the overall win. It was definitely a disappointment.”

Until that point, things had gone pretty much according to plan. Coming into the first KOM, with a three-second bonus on the line, the team set up Sutherland to win the bonus. With race leader Ben Day crossing the line in third to take one second, it moved Sutherland two seconds closer to the race lead, just four seconds back.

An attack went immediately following the KOM, and Andrew Pinfold of UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis covered the move. Though on the hot, hilly course, the sprinter was a bit out of his element with several strong climbers for break mates. After a while, Pinfold dropped back to the main bunch, while the break’s gap grew first to 2:35, and then another half-minute wider after Day got tangled with one of hiss teammates and hit the tarmac.

Day’s squad was left to bring back the break, which they did coming into the closing circuits on the same course the criterium covered Saturday. The catch prompted Amaran’s late move, which UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis took responsibility to shut down setting up the last-lap efforts on behalf of Sutherland.

Despite not getting the victory, Fraser noted that the team rode exceptionally well again today, and it gives the team momentum going into the rest of the season.